Charles XII of Sweden

Karl XII of Sweden (17 June 1682-30 November 1718) was King of Sweden from 5 April 1697 to 30 November 1718, succeeding Karl XI of Sweden and preceding Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden. King Karl was known as an exceptionally skilled military leader and tactician and an able politician, proving himself during the Great Northern War against the Russian Empire. However, his single-minded commitment to the offensive led to defeats at Poltava and Fredriksten, and the end result of his campaigns was to weaken and impoverish his country. He was killed when a projectile passed through the sides of his head in a failed siege of Fredriksten in Norway in 1718.

Biography
Acceding to the Swedish throne in 1697 at age 14, Charles XII ran a headlong course from triumph to disaster. His early military campaigns were a brilliant success. Faced with a hostile alliance of Russia, Poland, Saxony, and Denmark, he attacked and defeated the Danes. Then, in November 1700, he trounced a Russian army besieging the Estonian city of Narva with a surprise attack in a blizzard. The Russian army was at least three timesa s large as Charles's force but was split apart and completely routed. Next it was the turn of the Poles and Saxons, invaded and crushed by Charles at Kliszow in July 1702. But he had no taste for ending wars short of total victory. After prolonged campaigning to subdue the Poles, in 1708 Charles embarked on the conquest of Russia.

Defeat at Poltava
In the summer of 1708, Charles beat the Russians at Holowczyn. However, after a freezing winter without sufficient food, his forces met disaster at Poltava. Wounded, the kind escaped on a stretcher to find refuge with Russia's enemies, the Ottomans. For five years, Charels remained as an increasingly unwelcome guest of the Turks before returning to Sweden in 1714. In an attempt to rebuild his power, he invaded Norway in 1716 and again two years later, but was killed besieging Fredriksten in 1718.